On the second day of the 48-hour bandh called by the CPI-Maoist in five states, including West Bengal, Naxalites upped the ante against the Left Front government by visiting Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi with a memorandum that demanded, among other things, an immediate rollback of the ban on the outfit.

A day after the ban was imposed by the Centre, the state government on Tuesday also followed suit.

A five-member delegation of the CPI(Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI-MLL) led by party state secretary Partho Ghosh and Politburo member Kartick Pal called on Gandhi on Tuesday, shortly after a WBPCC delegation led by CLP leader Manas Bhuniya met the Governor.

“Our four-point memorandum demanded that the madness carried out by the state and Centre in Lalgarh should be stopped immediately. The state government is playing into the hands of the Centre. This is a war against the people. We requested the Governor to visit Lalgarh. No minister or official has visited the place till now,” Ghosh said after the meeting.

Later, speaking to The Indian Express, Ghosh slammed Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee saying she was taking the Centre’s side on the issue. “It is clear who is with Ma, Mati and Manush and who isn’t. Mamata has failed to stand by the people of Lalgarh. Why has she demanded that Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore be declared disturbed areas? The state government is using the Centre as an excuse to carry out the operations while Mamata is using the CPM as an excuse. Atrocities are being committed in the name of fighting Maoists,” he said.

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